


Midnight Snack

by cinereous



Category: Persona 3
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Get together fic, M/M, Missing Scene, Post-October, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-18 10:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20637869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinereous/pseuds/cinereous
Summary: It's close to midnight and Minato is awake, stressed, and starving. Fortunately, it seems Akihiko is in a similar predicament.





	Midnight Snack

**Author's Note:**

  * For [minium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minium/gifts).

It was the muffled sound of breaking glass that broke his concentration.  
  
Minato lifted his head slowly, ears straining to hear any further sounds, but the house was quiet. The eerie silence of the sleeping buzzed around him to the point he had to wonder if he had made up the noise entirely.  
  
The words of his math textbook blurred in front of him, and Minato frowned gently as he tried to focus back. It was no use. Whatever he had heard not only broke the silence, but his ability to focus. He glanced over at his alarm clock nearby, and the glowing blue proclaimed it was getting close to midnight.  
  
He had overdone it again. Even now he could feel his stomach roil, and the headache he hadn't truly noticed before roared into life.  
  
He was tired.  
  
It felt like he was tired all the time now, but no more so than this past week. The loss of Shinjiro had their group on edge. Everyone needed someone to talk to. Everyone needed someone to help distract them. Some wanted to push their limits in Tartarus instead of think or feel. It was times like these that Minato could not help but wonder why they had appointed him as something resembling a leader.  
  
He didn't feel like a leader. He didn't feel like a good friend or the answer that anyone was looking for. He wasn't sure how he was meant to hold everyone together when he couldn't even remember to stop studying at a decent hour.  
  
Then again, it was really the only way to keep his grades up when he had so much else going on. Every shred of his free time was given over to something important to help protect his team. And yet...they hadn't been able to protect everyone, had they?  
  
A weary, bone deep sigh left him as he closed his book and got to his feet. His joints ached from a recent excursion during the Dark Hour, but his rumbling stomach would not let him sleep no matter how exhausted he was.  
  
He hoped they had something in the way of snacks downstairs. It would be just his luck that something as small as a lack of something to eat was what sent him off the deep end of stress.  
  
Minato headed out of his room, stuffing his hands into his pockets on pure muscle memory. He was still fully dressed save his shoes. His socks muffled his footfalls on each step, and the carpet felt plush against the ache in them.  
  
It was not quite the Dark Hour, but the lounge felt strange and ghostly upon his arrival. His friends were not dotted around the room like they typically were after the school day. Chairs sat vacant, and only two lights were left on: the one at the desk by the door and the chandelier over the dining table.  
  
The whole area felt vaguely underwater, murky and muffled. It was so quiet Minato was hyper aware of his own breathing. That was, until other sounds suddenly appeared.  
  
It was the shuffling 'tink' of glass on glass and what could only be a broom. His thin brows knit, and Minato eased around the corner to see the room better. There behind the counter where the china cabinet sat was Akihiko, stooped and shuffling around, obviously sweeping up what Minato could only guess was the broken glass he had heard earlier.  
  
Even from his distance, and in the dim lighting, he could see that Akihiko looked desperately tired. He'd always had soft shadows beneath his eyes, but the colors had gone deep and bruised. At first glance he almost looked naked, but as Minato took a few steps forward, he was able to tell that the older boy was wearing a pair of low slung joggers. He had to assume it was what he normally slept in. Given the hour, Minato couldn't fault him for that. After all, it was more strange that he was fully dressed at eleven thirty at night on a school night.  
  
Akihiko still hadn't noticed him, so after a long pause Minato delicately cleared his throat.  
  
The reaction was immediate. Akihiko jumped and jerked around, the broom and dustpan falling as he rushed to bring up his fists in a ready stance. His knuckles were bruised just like his eyes, some small splits still healing.  
  
Pale eyes relaxed in a second once they registered who was visiting, and Akihiko gave him something close to a glare.  
  
"Give a guy some warning next time," he grumbled, bending down to pick up the broom and get back to work. Minato took that to mean he wasn't expected to leave and stepped forward to lean his elbows against the bar.  
  
They didn’t speak. The silence settled back in like kicked up sediment coming to rest back along a lake bed. It was comfortable and familiar, if only because it was easier to hide in.  
  
Akihiko finished his busy task, slipping into the kitchen to dump the dustpan before he returned and settled against the counter as well. He had a fresh bandage over his brow. Minato kept forgetting to ask what it was for. He doubted he'd ask tonight.  
  
"Thought I was the only one up at this hour. What's eating you?" the grey haired boy asked, yawning broadly and not even bothering to hide it behind his hand. It made him look adorably boyish and young. It made Minato's heart skip a beat.  
  
Perhaps developing a crush on your older, mature, and deeply attractive team and house mate wasn't a good idea. Especially during the middle of trying to save the world. Minato seemed to have a knack for adding problems to his life he just didn't need.  
  
He was doing his best to avoid putting it on Akihiko's plate. Akihiko had their SEES work to worry about and had just lost his friend. He needed friends and stability. Minato would do his best to provide that.  
  
It was for that reason he only gave a noncommittal shrug in response to his question. It wouldn't be right to bother Akihiko with his worries and mental state. "Just hungry. Judging by your sweeping, I'm going to guess you were thirsty before disaster struck."  
  
The sound of Akihiko's rich laughter was the last thing Minato expected. It sent a shiver down his spine, and his toes curled in delight. He didn't hear that sound nearly enough. He couldn't believe he'd caused it.  
  
"Yeah. I usually keep some water bottles in my room, but with everything going on I haven't restocked. Now I've got to hope nobody notices a glass missing," he chuckled, leaning more heavily against the bar. He was practically sprawling across it like a cat, arching his back. Minato knew he was likely sore and just needed the stretch, but it was indecent.  
  
Heat flared up around his neck and ears, and Minato prayed he hadn’t gone pink. "Did you happen to notice anything worth eating in the pantry?" he asked, desperate to move on and think of anything that wasn't Akihiko's muscular arms and back.  
  
"I didn't see anything. Guess we've all got to restock after...everything."  
  
The knowledge that there wasn't anything to eat sent a stone straight into his throat. Minato could feel his decent mood collapsing faster than he could pick up the pieces. Why could nothing ever go right? What was he doing!? He couldn't even go to bed correctly and here he was up and making it Akihiko's problem. He felt choked up by a million tiny, stinging needles prying under his skin.  
  
Something must have shown on his face, because that moment Akihiko's hand reached out and softly covered his own.  
  
It was calloused and hot and dry. Minato stared down at it in dumb surprise, unable to look away from the scabs and scars and perfectly trimmed nails. The heat on his face engulfed his whole body, and Minato felt like an idiot.  
  
"Hey, it's alright. I've got some protein bars in my room. I know exactly how you feel. I can't fall asleep on an empty stomach either."  
  
The kindness and reassurance felt undeserved. Minato found himself stupidly replying, "I have some bottled water in my room."  
  
This time his words earned him a smile. It was oddly delicate looking for Akihiko's handsome features. Minato realized with a jolt that it was because Akihiko likely felt the exact same way he did. Suddenly, the broken glass and his easy laughter felt sinister.  
  
His bruised eyes, the timing, the way he was reacting to things with soft joy and bursts of happiness. Had Minato accidentally wandered into a moment of weakness? Had he somehow interrupted what might have been a breakdown?  
  
Ever since Shinjiro's funeral, Akihiko had been stone faced and determined. Every time someone seemed upset over his death, Akihiko was there to correct them and remind them that Shinjiro was strong and wanted things this way. He put up a steadfast front of strength and optimism for all the world to see.  
  
Minato had taken him at his word, but perhaps he had been too hasty. He believed the best of Akihiko because, out of all of their group, it was Akihiko who he wanted to be closest to. He had been an idiot once again, not a leader.  
  
The knowledge prickled at him, but he looked up into his pale eyes with determination of his own. "Come up to my room. We can grab the food on the way. There's no sense in either of us putting on a brave face when we can share."  
  
He doesn't expect anything more than a nod in response, which was what he received. That same silence from before washed over them as they took the stairs. They made the stop to Akihiko's room for the food, and Minato took a moment to enjoy the subtle rush of cologne that slipped through the open door before they move on.  
  
His own room felt strange and not his own under the watery light of his desk lamp and nothing else. Minato sat on the edge of his bed, only a little disappointed when Akihiko sat in the desk chair. Opening the protein bar wrappers and uncapping the water felt bizarrely like digging in to treasure spoils in that moment. The mood shifted without Minato's notice, spiraling away and turning into something that wasn't poised on the edge of despair.  
  
Perhaps that is what gave him the courage to glance up through his lashes and stare at Akihiko, bathed gold and gorgeously unembarrassed for this one moment.  
  
"It's a shame your club of fangirls can't see you like this," he teased, voice deadpan and serious as always, but the faint lilt to his words injected just enough amusement to let Akihiko in on the joke.  
  
It worked like a charm. Akihiko burned a deep rosy red that cascaded all along his shoulders and the top of his chest. Red always was his color.  
  
"Er, I don't want to think about them. I'm sure they're nice and have good intentions but I'm not interested," he groused. Minato watched him pick at the water bottle wrapper in obvious distraction, unable to meet his eyes. It would never stop being endearing the way strong, capable, and confident Akihiko became a blushing mess when people expressed interest.  
  
Whoever he inevitably decided to give a chance to would be so lucky.  
  
"The truth is," Akihiko went on, still staring aggressively downward and still just as cherry red. He practically glowed under the harsh lamplight. "They're not really my type. I think I would be more interested in a, er...strong, silent type."  
  
Oh.  
  
Minato felt his brows raise beneath his hair, and he shifted his posture straighter to show his interest. His stomach was sated, and the overwhelming stress that had threatened to drown him had faded down below. It felt good to talk about something as normal as this. It felt good to have his heart beat more intensely in his chest over this suddenly shy boy.  
  
"That's good news for me then," he tossed out. His mouth betrayed him. It felt like his silence bottled up nothing but sarcasm and teeth for when it was least appropriate. Minato was instantly afraid he would run him off for his split-second moment of playful flirtation.  
  
The anger and indignation never came. Minato blinked up to see Akihiko staring at him. His eyes were large and wide, pools of mercury made liquid by the sheer heat that was so obviously flooding his face.  
  
"I-...you...that's-"  
  
Akihiko cleared his throat like a dying man, squeezing his eyes painfully tight. Minato would worry, but the self-deprecating and lovely smile tugging at his lips let him know things were not falling apart so much as trembling precariously into place.  
  
"That's...good," Akihiko finally finished. His voice was strangled by nerves and embarrassment, but the undercurrent of pure joy was all Minato needed.  
  
He moved from the bed as silently as he could to avoid breaking the spell and pressed his knee in the bare sliver of space Akihiko had not taken up in the chair. He could practically feel the other boy vibrating, his anxiety or excitement manifesting as a thrum through his whole body.  
  
When he leaned down to press his lips to Akihiko's for the first time the world around them seemed to dissolve. The air shifted and sparked.  
  
His lips were so different from his hands. They were soft and damp, chilled from the water and tasting like the chocolate from their late night snack. Akihiko was still and wonderfully pliant, so unsure and yet determined to see this through.  
  
The kiss felt like the first right decision he'd made so far.  
  
Minato gently eased backwards to give them space to breathe and acclimate to this new and sudden change in their lives. It was almost a shock to see his room now darker and full of moody, green tinged shadows. The strange electricity in the air that was always present during the Dark Hour made him smirk.  
  
"I think that's our cue for bed," he murmured, slipping back to his feet and offering his hand out to Akihiko to help him up as well. "We have a busy day of looking into that tomorrow."  
  



End file.
